Former England international Edward Richardson secured his spot in this month's UBS Hong Kong Open thanks to an overwhelmingly dominant display at the Hong Kong Open Amateur Championship at Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club in late November.
Richardson, 44, who fired a fine 65 in the third round, closed with a 68 to ease to comprehensive 14-stroke victory. Chinese Taipei's Liu Yu-Jui placed second, with Hong Kong's Shinichi Mizuno a shot further back in solo third.
"It all came together over the past couple of days after I started the tournament pretty badly," said Richardson, who finished second in the championship in 2007. "The aim today was not to make any mistakes and give anyone else a chance, which I was able to do. It's great to win on such a great golf course."
Richardson was forced to stop playing for two and a half years after being diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare blood disorder, in 2008. But having successfully overcome the disease, the former West of England stroke play champion is focused on making the most of his undoubted talent.
"I got very lucky and now I'm clean I'm able to enjoy my golf again," said Richardson, a member at the highly regarded Rye Golf Club on the Sussex coast. "The allure of playing in the Hong Kong Amateur is the chance of getting into a European Tour event, which is something I've never done before. I'm really looking forward to the experience."
Hong Kong international Mizuno, 18, one of the pre-event favourites, carded four solid rounds but was never really a threat once Richardson took control on day three. Terrence Ng, Mizuno's teammate, finished strong to end up in a tie for eighth.
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